A traditional Chinese mind-body practice called baduanjin, which combines slow, structured movement; deep breathing; and meditative focus, lowered blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking in a large randomized clinical trial. Blood pressure reductions were seen after three months and sustained for one year.

Baduanjin is a widely practiced, standardized eight-movement sequence that integrates aerobic, isometric, flexibility and mind–body components. Practiced for centuries and commonly performed in community settings across China, the routine typically takes 10–15 minutes and requires no equipment and only minimal initial instruction, allowing it to be performed in a wide range of settings. Because it is low- to moderate-intensity, it is considered safe and accessible for many adults.

In the first large, multicenter randomized trial to look at the impact of baduanjin on blood pressure, researchers followed 216 participants  (mean age 57.3 years; 65% women) with stage-1 hypertension across seven communities to determine changes in 24-hour systolic blood pressure from baseline to 12 and 52 weeks.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three arms: baduanjin, self-directed exercise alone, or brisk walking for the 52-week intervention.

Compared to self-directed exercise, practicing baduanjin five days a week reduced 24-hour systolic blood pressure approximately 3 mg Hg and office systolic blood pressure by 5 mg Hg at both three months and one year, which is comparable to reductions seen with some first-line medications.

Baduanjin showed comparable results and safety profile to brisk walking at one year.

Notably, the benefits were sustained even without ongoing monitoring, a key challenge for many lifestyle interventions that struggle to maintain long-term adherence outside structured programs.

“Baduanjin has been practiced in China for over 800 years, and this study demonstrates how ancient, accessible, low-cost approaches can be validated through high-quality randomized research,” said Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, FACC, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and the Harold H. Hines, Jr Professor at the Yale School of Medicine.

“The blood pressure effect size is similar to that seen in landmark drug trials, but achieved without medication, cost or side effects. This makes it highly scalable for community-based prevention, including in resource-limited settings.”

To read the abstract and ancillary material from the study, published in JACC, click here